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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · object · shower · bat · wound · stand · capital · jam

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rule — government
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. object — to protest
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. capital — money
  15. rule — a law
  16. shower — rain
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com